David Grann’s captivating tale of an 18th-century shipwreck placed me squarely on the deck of the ship, the Wager, as it lunged and hurled through b

The best books to take readers on a journey to unknown lands

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2024-09-29 06:30:03

David Grann’s captivating tale of an 18th-century shipwreck placed me squarely on the deck of the ship, the Wager, as it lunged and hurled through battering waves off the coast of Patagonia, then ran aground. Then things got really interesting. The Wager was not just fun as hell; it was also instructive.

It showed me how to forebode and forewarn without giving away too much plot and how to keep the reader engaged through mazes of meticulously gathered research. And it did it all aboard a lunging, listing vessel, then through 18 months among castaways on a rocky outpost, as they struggled to survive scurvy, typhus, starvation–and each other.

'The beauty of The Wager unfurls like a great sail... one of the finest nonfiction books I've ever read' Guardian 'The greatest sea story ever told' Spectator 'A cracking yarn... Grann's taste for desperate predicaments finds its fullest expression here' Observer THE INSTANT NEW YORK TIMES NO. 1 BESTSELLER From the international bestselling author of KILLERS OF THE FLOWER MOON and THE LOST CITY OF Z, a mesmerising story of shipwreck, mutiny and murder, culminating in a court martial that reveals a shocking truth. On 28th January 1742, a ramshackle vessel of patched-together wood and cloth washed up on the… show more.